The key to successful IT projects: Engaged employees

From static to dynamic IT solutions

In the past, technical systems have had limited adaptability. IT has been responsible for fairly static solutions and has therefore not had to involve users other than through possible training. Instead, the starting point has often been at the top level, where the management team, for example, has been the main source of requirements.

Thanks to cloud services such as Microsoft 365, it is possible to dynamically tailor technology to meet business needs. Involving all users in designing the solutions can be an unfamiliar task. Many times there may also be a fear that if too many people are involved, the project will drag on. But without the project being driven from below, with the help of the employees, it is unfortunately doomed to fail.

What's in it for me?

An important part of taking advantage of new technologies is identifying the problems in existing processes and facilitating them with the help of technological tools. However, without genuine insight into the actual challenges faced by employees, new technology will never fully provide the right solutions. And the needs will never be captured if the employee is not engaged and involved in the design of these solutions.

In addition, employees must be aware of why they are choosing to change their way of working through new technology and what they stand to gain from the change. Otherwise, there is a high risk that the new solution will not be used as much as desired - or even in the right way. In the worst case, employees may even become hostile and find their own solutions outside the company's IT platform - so-called shadow IT - to remedy deficient processes and working methods. In this way, company information ends up outside the company's IT environment, which jeopardizes IT security and, in the case of personal data, also violates the GDPR.

Tips: How to engage your employees

So, for dynamic IT solutions to be successful, users need to keep them alive, which in turn requires employees to be engaged and feel involved in the introduction of new digital ways of working. There are many ways to engage employees and here are some of our tips:

• Start by holding one or more workshops where employees are given the opportunity to express their views on how the work works today and how they would like it to work. Then find opportunities to build new, improved ways of working using the new digital tools. You can also organize internal competitions where the best improvement proposal wins something.
• Move key processes that engage many employees to the new tool so that they are forced to get started and use it. Vacation planning or time tracking, for example.
• Have ambassadors for the tool within each function/department. The ambassador should be a committed employee who has a willingness to drive the work forward with regard to the specific needs of their work group. The ambassador should be more of a change leader rather than a tech-savvy person - the important thing is to drive engagement and change behaviors.
• Present information about new functionality in an understandable and user-friendly format - that is, not too technical. The important thing is to clearly demonstrate the benefits to the user.

Evidence of a successful IT investment

Employees are the biggest asset in your business. They are ultimately the ones who ensure that the new ways of working are actually implemented. To succeed with the introduction of a new digital way of working, it is the employees' input that should primarily control how the solutions are built. They are the ones who really know where the shortcomings are, what could be better and how the daily work could be improved through smarter processes.

Only when your employees feel involved and understand the benefits of the new tools will you get a return on your investment. If everyone is engaged, you can also continuously optimize the tools through iterative improvements. In a way, engagement is the proof that the implementation of a new tool has really succeeded.

Want to know more about how WeSafe thinks about successful IT projects? Feel free to contact us!